F30??

[michrudy]

I see an F30 for sale in my area...

I'm still pretty new to this whole guitar thing...

Sooo....What is it??

I know it's acoustic....

I see "orchestra size"...but what is that exactly??

Any help is great!

Thanks,
Rudy

 

[tjmangum]

An F30 is smaller than your standard dreadnought sized guitar. Many players like them for finger style playing. (Does someone have one of those size charts with outlines handy?)
Here's a picture with a traditional sized guitar next to an "Orchestral" sized one.

 

[michrudy]

Thanks so much for the help!

 

[fronobulax]

Mrs. Fro. fell in love with an F-30 at the LMG. In addition to the sound, construction and the craftsmanship, what she really liked is that as a "smaller" guitar it fit her better and was more comfortable and easier to hold and play than her D-25.

The Guild catalog here has specs so you can compare the sizes on some of the current production.

 

[merhere]

As mentioned F30s are great for fingerstyle playing. The smaller body blends the sound less than a larger guitar so you hear each note. The F body would be my first choice if I had to have one guitar. Parish the thought.

 

[evenkeel]

An F30 is smaller than your standard dreadnought sized guitar. Many players like them for finger style playing. (Does someone have one of those size charts with outlines handy?)

Here's one.

and three shapes from my herd.

 

[Ridgemont]

Everybody has their own range in categorizing guitar sizes. I would place the F30 which has a 15 & 1/4 inch lower bout in the medium range as far as guitar sizes. They are an ideal all around guitar. Why? Their sound balance. The high notes and bass notes blend equally so it is great for fingerstyle. Due to it being a medium size guitar they are easy to play in all scenarios (couch, stage...) I am guessing the scale length will be somewhere around 25 & 1/2 inch so it will give a pretty loud voice for its size. A guitar with shorter scale will have less projection. They are great strumming guitars for backyard, folk type stuff. I started out as a dread guy, but am slowly changing towards the OM size due to versatility.

 

[plaidseason]

The F30 is basically what everybody else calls an OM/OOO. Depending upon the year and location of manufacture, it could be either short or long scale. And there are a couple of years, where it's actually a completely different guitar!

Fun times.

That said, I'm a big fan, short scale mahogany, long scale mahogany, and long scale rosewood.

-Chris

 

[Dennis M]

The F-30R is a great couch guitar, although it is loud enough to be used in any coffee house or concert setting. I have one, as well as a larger, bulkier '70 F-212, which is a large jumbo bodied 12-string. That is not a couch guitar! As much as I love the sound of it, just doesn't fit in my lap on the couch, so the f-30R sits just nicely, thank you.

The Guild F-30 is like a Martin 000-28; almost identical in size. Likewise, the Guild D-40 is like a Martin D-18. The Guild D-50 is like the Martin D-28. And so on, and so on . . .

Hmmmm . . . you did ask about the F-30, didn't you. Well, there you have it; in a nutshell.

dennis M

 

[fungusyoung]

Here's a side by side comparison of a Martin 000 (000-15) and a '98 Guild F30-R. As you can see, very close in body size/shape.

Bear in mind that this is the "smaller" version of the F30. There was another recent thread here which detailed the size difference between these (which were made from the early years I think through the late 70's & then re-issued in the 90's) vs. the larger ones that were made starting in the late 70's or early 80's... I honestly can't recall, but wanted to mention this as I was surprised to learn of the differences.

Guild's a wacky company that way... following their model number designations through some of the specification changes they've made over the years (i.e. D25, DV6, etc.) result in truly different guitars in some cases.

For what it's worth, I loved the '98 F30-R. Biggest gear-related mistake I've ever made was selling it.